High School Marquee offends sensibilities for election law violation

Marquis at Canyon View High School, a public school and polling place for the GOP Primary Election, Cedar City, Utah, June 26, 2012 | Photo by Paul Cozzens, St. George News

CEDAR CITY – On this election day for Utah’s Republican Primary, citizens of Cedar City assigned to vote at Canyon View High School, a public high school designated as the polling place for Iron County Precincts 6 and 7, arrived to see the school’s electronic marquee flashing the name of Evan Vickers.

Vickers is on the ballot candidating against incumbent Sen. Casey Anderson for the GOP nomination for Utah’s State Senate District 28.

Utah Election Code Section 20A-3-501 prohibits electioneering within 150 feet of the building where a polling place is located, and provides that “(a) county, municipality, school district, or local district may not prohibit electioneering that occurs more than 150 feet from the building where a polling place is located … (emphasis added).”

The timing of the marquis strikes some as curious, as callers in to the Perspectives Morning Show on Fox News Radio 1450 KZNU, observed. Regardless, the broadcasting of a candidate’s name on election day at a polling location appears to some to violate election laws and the integrity of the polling process.

Donna Sanders, secretary for Canyon View High School, said that the messages on the marquis have been up for weeks.

“We got the new marquis (about a year ago) and people had donated to get the marquis,” Sanders said. She said the full message thanks Vickers and Braun Construction for donating toward the purchase of the marquis.

Sanders apologized, “I don’t think it was meant for voting,” she said. “I’m gonna try to turn it off.”

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About the Author

Joyce Kuzmanic has been editor in chief of St. George News since 2012, having contributed as a reporter and assistant editor since the publication's inception in 2010. Before St. George News, Joyce has been a private business owner and enjoyed a long career as a paralegal in real estate, business and tax law transactions.
She enjoys hospitality, thinking, reading and adventuring in the great outdoors. Joyce currently resides in St. George with her husband and her dog, Scratch.

OMG… to use some modern vernacular; first, all this noise being made over a Marquis is mind boggling. The editor in-chief wrote this? How about we discuss an electronic marquee?

Next, the thought of this story being an Earth-shattering front page news maker is laughable. This story hardly warrants mention. Someone clearly doesn’t know all the in depth election laws of Utah, and I am sure no one in this publication does either. So change the message on the ‘marquee’ and get on with life. Front page – hahahaha! There is surely something more pressing for the front page than this drivel .

I want to publicly apologize for my rant earlier. I am feeling a bit guilty for being so brutal on my critique. I am certainly no genius and have no room to talk about my typos and such. So, Joyce Kuzmanic, I apologize for my choice of harsh words. I know it can’t be an easy task to write for the public’s consumption. Thank you and I hope you didn’t take too much offense to my earlier remarks.

No offense taken, Rick. For heaven’s sake, I edit and correct writings all day long. Someone’s gotta keep me in check.
Seriously, St. George News invites corrections (spelling and facts) always – we are an interactive media, your input is as important as what we put out there for conversation. That’s the dynamic we’re going for; so, thank you.